cuisineart
...inverted cherry tomato tart,
black olive and basil
much of our inspiration comes from the rugged
Northern Californian coastline. There is something
magical about the place where water meets
land, with its evocative aromas of salt water,
forest and earth. We have created a series of
dishes that are meditations on this relationship, all
called “Earth and Sea.” In this version, steamed
tofu mousseline forms the base for a broth of
mushroom and vegetable stock, infused with
katsuobushi and thickened with seaweed. Yuba
(soy milk skin), fresh seaweeds and pickled turnips
are suspended, aquarium-like, in the broth.
In a bit of sensory sleight of hand, two pre-
parations of melon and cucumber—biological
cousins—are served on a plate scented with
the aroma of mint. The melon melds with the
cucumber to create a new flavor, neither fully
one nor the other. At first the mint is a separate
component, but its aroma quickly becomes
entangled with the melon and cucumber, and
over time it becomes impossible to tell whether
